As things stand, Lawes looks favourite to start alongside Geoff Parling in the England second-row when they host Australia on November 2 after he put in a memorable showing against the Ospreys. The lock made 20 tackles and added his considerable physical presence to the Saints' cause as they recorded their first win in the Heineken Cup this season.

And post-match, Mallinder was full of praise for the lock. He said: "Courtney was sensational, not just in his restarts, but his defence as well.

"He is consistently making big tackles, he consistently makes big carries and he is doing that for 80 minutes now, which is where I think he has moved on in the past few months. He was in and out of games a little bit in the past. Now he is the sort of complete player for the full game."

Lawes, 24, has had his share of injuries during recent seasons, but he is now unquestionably operating at maximum efficiency.

"Getting injured really disrupted how I was playing, but I have managed a good amount of game time under me, my head is in a great place at the minute and I know what I need to do each game," Lawes said. "For me, it has always been about having a run of games.

"I am playing a bit smarter now. I am not trying to really hurt people. I am looking after my body a bit more, and it seems to be working. I was trying a bit too hard to get back to my previous form, but it doesn't come overnight. You need the game time."